Disclaimer: I do not own any form of Star Trek nor these delicious characters. Don't kill me!
AN: Beta'd by my bestest friend ever, Ravyn Stormwatcher, and loved by another. Hopefully you will enjoy just as much as they did.
All Our Yesterdays (1/2)
Hihi Ren
Jim didn't know Bones had a daughter. He had walked in on Bones talking to his little Joanna with other things on his mind, carrying Bones's favorite bottle of bourbon in hand and a sympathetic, half-smile formed on his lips.
"Jo, darlin', how old are you today?" He had heard Bones's drawl. Maybe Jim wasn't supposed to be here, maybe this was something private.
Maybe something like this hadn't stopped Jim before.
There was a dominantly Southern voice from within the room, "Mm, seven!" Jim blinked. Was Bones hiding seven year-olds in his room? And if that was the case, what the hell was he doing?
There was a light, happy chuckle from Jim's CMO and friend - the friend Jim never hears chuckle, let alone smile. Who was this girl?
"My Joanna is seven years old! Oh my god, I thought she was only six," Bones said, accenting the 'god' to sound more like 'gawd'.
How come Jim has never heard Bones talk like this? How come Bones sounds infinitely more happy and, and... adorable? Can you even describe Bones as adorable? Jim has only ever been able to think of him as this gruff, crotchety man who works too hard and drinks all those pent-up emotions down in a bottle of straight Kentucky bourbon. And now, Bones is chuckling and presumably smiling.
"Daddy!" He heard this voice and Jim knew his eyes must have bugged out. "Daddy! You know it's mah birfday!" Jim decides to set the bottle of bourbon down of the floor and peek around the corner. Sure enough, a little girl - who looked so much like Bones - is on the comm. speaking to Jim's best friend.
"Of course! How could I forget Jojo's birthday?" Bones gushes - Bones apparently gushes now? - and although Jim can't see his face, he knows Bones is smiling. "How old is Daddy?"
"Old!" Bones's daughter laughs. Jim can see the happy expression that Joanna has and he could imagine Bones having this mock-upset face on because Joanna giggles more. "Mommy says she'll get me a horsey next year! She says I can't have one now because I'm not good enough at riding yet to own a big girl horsey."
"Jocelyn tends to think no one is good enough," Bones grumbled unhappily into empty space. "Daddy saw an animal Joanna would have liked today!" Jim could see Joanna's eyes light up as he switched the subject smoothly. "He was a small fluffy, little thing - as big as a lap dog, if that! And he had this great big horn coming out of his forehead, these little antennas and the smallest spikes coming down his spine. He was a sweet little thing, though."
"Can Daddy get me one of those for mah birfday?" She asked, ever so sweetly, the beginnings of the "puppy-dog eyes" forming. Bones chuckled softly again.
"I don't think so, Jo-Bear," Bones stated, "But Daddy has to go now. I love you so, so much."
"As much as you love space?"
"You know I love you more than anything in the whole wide universe," Bones said. Joanna gave a toothy smile. "Okay, bye Daddy!"
With a sad, "Bye, Jo." Bones turned off the comm. but stayed seated. Jim picked up his bottle of bourbon and banged the bottom of the bottle on the wall nearest him. Jim sees Bones look up.
"Hey, I, uh heard," he states lamely. "Well, listened in on, rather. Sorry." Bones snorts and Jim knows he's back to being the Bones Jim knows. He notices the bottle and stands to gather some glasses.
"So, um, you have a daughter?" Jim asks, trying to get Bones to talk.
"Obviously, Jim," Bones states, putting down a glass in front of Jim. He reached for the bottle but Jim poured for him first. He looked at Jim a tad questioningly but shook it off.
"So, why didn't you tell me?"
"Dammit Jim!" Bones cursed, "It's not something I always want to talk about. Why the hell are you here anyway?"
"Well, I thought you needed some cheering up. I mean, you didn't look all that great after losing that red shirt." Jim said, "A bottle of bourbon usually does it." Bones stared at him.
"Jim, he's dead. If you had a man's life in your hands - your job to save him - and you lost them, you wouldn't feel that cheerful either." Bones sniffed the drink and downed the remnants. "Besides also missing your daughter's birthday because you're in goddamn space!"
"Oh, yeah. What about that?" Jim said, "Why does she think you love it so much? You hate space."
"She thinks I love it more than her because I chose this over being home in Georgia."
Jim refilled the glasses and stated intelligently, "Oh." They stared at the glasses in their hands, swirling occasionally and raising it to their lips when their was nothing else to do.
"I wanna meet her!" Bones gave another snort and rolled his eyes.
Please, please review! They make me happy and a much better person.
Oh, and if you are wondering, I did chose the title after the actual TOS show (which was actually named after something William Shakespeare!)